12 Things to Do With Every New Divi Install

So you decided to use the WordPress and Divi for your project and have already managed to successfully install it? If yes, hold on, because that's not all that you need to do to start. There are certain things that you should do with your every new installation. They include, for example, some security addons, SEO settings or connecting your website with your Google Analytics account. I will explain what all should you do after you install WordPress & Divi in my list below.

Also, besides doing all the things mentioned below in this article, you will most likely want to customize the look of your website and use the Divi WordPress theme. You can also check out my WordPress tips blog (it's in Spanish and some other languages) on which I blog about the Divi theme and some other WordPress tricks as well.

Now let's continue to my to-do list:

#1 – Make sure Google can index your website

If you want Google to index your website, make sure you don't have the code <meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"> in your robots.txt file or in the header code of your website. Most likely you selected the "Discourage search engines from indexing this site" option in the WordPress Reading settings (Settings > Reading). So just make sure you have this option deselected.

#2 – Hide your WordPress login page

The first security step for your WordPress website is to hide your WordPress admin panel login page. So instead of "www.yourwebsite.com/wp-login.php" your login page will be "www.yourwebsite.com/som3th1ngh3r3". This way you will make it much harder for the hackers to try to log into your WordPress admin panel. You can do this with a security plugin, but as for me, I'm using a special plugin just for this function. It's called "WPS Hide Login".

#3 – Don't use admin as your WordPress username

It is recommended to not use "admin" as your WordPress username, as that is the first login username that hackers will try when trying to log into your website. I also recommend to not use your real name as your WP username either. I personally use something generic and then add my first name or a nickname in "Users > Your Profile". Then you will be able to have your name as the WordPress author, but your WP login username will be different.

#4 – Limit login attempts

Use a security plugin to limit the number of login attempts to your WordPress website. You can limit this to e.g. 5 attempts. This will mean that if someone tries to log into your website 5 times unsuccessfully, he will have to wait 24 hours to be able to login again.

#5 – Install Google Analytics

If you want to track the visitors of your website, the best way to do so is to use Google Analytics. You will need a Google account to be able to use it. And then you will need to either manually insert your Google Analytics tracking code to your website's code, or, you can use a plugin for this. I recommend the plugin "Google Analytics Dashboard for WP". However, if you will be using an SEO plugin, you can insert your GA code into its settings. So you will not need any extra special plugin for this.

#6 – Connect your website with Google Search Console

If you want to have access to some other search analytics data of your website that are not available in Google Analytics, you should use the Google Search Console (formerly known as Google Webmaster Tools). You will need create an account and add your website into it. Then you will need to verify your website. You can choose an option to upload a file to the root folder of your website.

#7 – Install an SEO plugin

If you want to get traffic to your website from Google, you should also use an SEO plugin. I recommend the “Yoast SEO” or “All in One SEO Pack”. However, of course you will need to do more than just install and SEO plugin if you want to get some good and stable traffic from the search engines.

#8 – Add custom default Gravatar image

If you are not using Gravatar yet and want a nice profile picture appear next to your name on the comments on your blog, you should start using it. Just go to www.gravatar.com and create a profile and upload your picture. After you do so, this picture will appear next to your name on all WordPress blogs (not just on your blog) on which you will leave a comment.

#9 – Setup Divi Theme Options

In "Divi > Theme Options" enter your Elegant Themes username and API key, so that you can take the advantage of seamless Divi updates. Also, enter your social profiles URLs, so that your social media buttons have a destination URL.

#11 – Create standard page layouts

Design a layout using the Divi Builder that you will be using for most pages (or even posts as well) of your website. Then save it into the Divi library. This way you will save a lot of time and will make your work much easier, as you can load your layout(s) from the Divi Library for each one of your pages.

#12 – Setup the Role Editor

Lastly, if you are handing out this website to a client, or if you are starting a blog with more authors, don't forget to setup the Divi Role Editor (found at "Divi > Role Editor"). You can completely disable the Divi builder for your client (or your authors), or give them access to only those modules and other features you want them to use.